Of Babies and Battle-cries
by Chamelaucium
Summary: The reason behind Oin's ear-trumpet: one *very* noisy nephew. Unashamed dwarf fluff. Because you can never have too much dwarf fluff.


**A/N: So it's kind of late and I have school tomorrow, but I just couldn't help myself:**

** I needed some baby Gimli fluff. So I wrote this. It's **_**very **_**fluffy, so I hope you like it... :D Basically I think it would be really cute if it was Gimli who accidentally deafened Oin, which resulted in Oin needing the ear-trumpet!**

**So now I present to you...**

* * *

**Of Babies and Battle-cries**

A dwarfling sat on his father's knee, his unruly shock of red hair sticking up all over the place as he observed his uncle closely. Oin and Gloin were sitting, enjoying some of their family's famous fruitcake while Gloin bounced little Gimli up and down on his knee and occasionally passed him bits of cake to suck on, but which Gimli mostly succeeded in mashing into the braids in his hair.

The two older dwarves spoke of anything and everything, and all the while Gimli grew more and more restless, fiddling with Gloin's buttons and pulling on his beard, and trying to slide down his legs to get to the floor.

Oin chuckled at his nephew's antics, and held out his arms to the child. Gimli squirmed out of his father's lap, shimmying down his legs until he plopped in a heap on the floor. Righting himself, he toddled over to Oin who scooped him up and held him at eye level. Gimli stared at him, his green eyes shrewd as he observed his uncle.

Oin reached into a pocket and pulled out a little treat, a sticky marzipan ball loved by dwarflings, but especially by Gimli - but the lad's mother never let him have them, so Oin spoilt him something rotten to make up for it. He held the sweet out to Gimli.

Would you like a sweet, Gimli?'

Gimli nodded eagerly, his braids swinging wildly as he did so.

'I can't hear you!' Oin teased, chuckling at the little dwarf. Gimli looked surprised, but didn't say anything else. He looked back at Gloin, and what happened next neither his father or uncle could have anticipated.

_'Yes!' _Gimli shouted, at the top of his lungs and right in Oin's ear, so loudly that Oin dropped the sweet and it rolled under the table. Gimli immediately clambered down and chased it, munching on it happily.

But the ear didn't stop ringing and it felt muzzy. It hadn't changed the next day, and on the third day Oin accepted that his hearing was now impaired. From that day on he took to carrying an ear-trumpet with him, just in case.

_The lad's going to have a fearsome battle-cry when he's older_, Oin would think ruefully whenever he had to use it.

* * *

Gimli was never allowed to forget the incident. While he was too young at the time to remember it for himself, the story had been relayed so many times - every time he'd seen his Uncle Oin and at nearly every social gathering - that he knew all the details so well it was like it was his own memory.

Gimli grew older and felt worse and worse as his uncle's hearing gradually deteriorated more and more (although much of it was due to old age, he was assured). But as Yule approached in his fiftieth year, he decided to do something about it.

* * *

Gloin had noticed his son running off early every morning, following the older dwarves deeper into the mines and workshops. He wasn't sure what had happened to cause Gimli to become so interested in mining and crafting, but he was proud of him for taking up these wholesome, dwarven pursuits; although it was still a long while yet until he was required to work his living down there.

As Yule grew ever closer Gimli stayed away more and more, looking increasingly pleased with himself. Finally Yule Day arrived and the whole family gathered, ready to indulge in fruitcake and pie and family stories which had been told a hundred times before - including the tale of Gimli deafening his uncle, which no one ever tired of as they poked fun of Oin, now beginning to go grey.

After the fine meal they presented gifts to each other. There were the usual gifts of necklaces and pendants for the ladies (although Gloin gifted his wife a particularly fine set of beard beads) but when it was Gimli's turn he stood up, waiting for the others to quieten.

He looked uncomfortable and flushed as bright as his beard, but eventually when all was quiet he spoke, young voice cracking as he did so.

'This is for my Uncle Oin; to repay a long-standing debt.'

He handed Oin a little cloth package and retreated to his seat, sinking low as Oin carefully unwrapped the gift.

And laughed out loud, startling the gathered family members with the boisterous laughter. In his hand was a new ear-trumpet, beautifully crafted and engraved with runes and geometric patterns. Oin stared at it happily, and then turned his attention to Gimli.

'It's perfect, laddie. D'ye make it yourself?'

Gimli nodded, pride clear in his face even as he continued to blush. He didn't complain when Oin pulled him in for a hug and smashed their foreheads together, or when he handed him _his _gift.

He should have known by the glint in his uncle's eyes and smirk curving his mouth. Gimli couldn't help but grin hugely when he unwrapped the package to find a pile of sticky, tasty marzipan sweets.

* * *

** I love Gimli and Oin and Gloin... I just love dwarves in general. XD I think it would be really super cute if the ear-trumpet Oin uses in the film was made for him by Gimli... Aw. And the thought of Baby Gimli makes my heart melt. :')**

**I hope you liked this! :) please excuse the fluff overload but I need fluff like air at the moment so please bear with me! :D**


End file.
